The 2026 application window for the James MacKinnon Local 1059 Scholarship Fund is now open.

Since launching in 2019, the Scholarship Fund has awarded more than $200,000 to 140 deserving students pursuing post-secondary education. Supporting the educational goals of members and their families is something Local 1059 takes great pride in, and eligible members or their dependents are strongly encouraged to apply.

Among last year’s 26 recipients was Local 1059 member Osama Wady, who received $2,000 to attend Fanshawe College’s Construction Engineering Technology program.

Wady began working non-union jobs across Southwestern Ontario when he was 16, taking on everything from framing and concrete work to masonry, window installation, insulation, flooring, and general labour.

“You either worked ridiculous hours or got abused by different companies,” he said. “I heard all these good things about the union and I thought, ‘There’s no way this can actually be real.’”

Referred to Local 1059 by a friend, Wady joined in late 2024 and quickly saw the impact membership could have. He says access to better wages, benefits, and a healthier work-life balance made a major difference for both him and his wife, Tuqa Jameel.

“The dental helped us a lot. The optical benefits were amazing too,” said Wady, now 24. “I managed to get my body back. I did a lot of physio and treatment for my knees and thighs. It was honestly a huge help.”

Not long after joining the union, Wady began considering a return to school and discovered he was eligible to apply for a scholarship from the James MacKinnon Local 1059 Scholarship Fund.

“When I heard there was a scholarship for this, I was really shocked,” Wady said.

“The money was a huge help, but it was the encouragement that got me the most. The second LiUNA gave me a chance, I was like, ‘I’m not letting go of this opportunity.’ I genuinely did not think I was ever going to end up back in school, but receiving the scholarship motivated me to go full force toward it.”

Wady is excelling at Fanshawe. In his second semester, he recorded a 3.94 GPA and is currently completing a co-op placement with signatory contractor EllisDon in Huntsville, where he’s gaining hands-on experience as a student field coordinator on a railway infrastructure project. His work includes surveying, safety compliance, daily reporting, and site coordination, while learning directly from project managers and superintendents.

His long-term goal is to become a superintendent himself.

“I’m going to be a super one day,” he said. “I’m always going to stick with LiUNA because LiUNA’s the one that got me here in the first place.”

Applications for this year’s scholarship program will be accepted from June 1–July 6, 2026.

Everything needed to apply, including the application package and online application form, is available at: liunalocal1059.com/scholarship

Members with questions can contact scholarship@liuna1059.ca.